1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to asphalt compositions and products, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products. In another aspect, the present invention relates to asphalt compositions and products comprising renewable materials, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products. In even another aspect, the present invention relates to asphalt compositions and products comprising tall oil based materials, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products. In still another aspect, the present invention relates to asphalt compositions and products comprising modified tall oil based materials, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products. In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to asphalt compositions and products comprising oxidized or distilled tall oil based materials, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products. In even still another aspect, the present invention relates to asphalt compositions and products comprising tall oil based materials and polymers, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products as a partial or whole substitute for asphalt/bitumen with or without polymer modification.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Asphalt is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleum and in some natural deposits. In U.S. terminology, asphalt (or asphalt cement) is the carefully refined residue from the distillation process of selected crude oils. Outside North America, the product is called bitumen.
Asphalt binder is a key ingredient in pavements, roofing and waterproofing applications. The primary use of asphalt is in road construction, where it is used as the glue or binder for the aggregate particles, and accounts for approximately 80% of the asphalt consumed in the United States. The most common type of flexible pavement surfacing in the United States is hot mix asphalt (HMA) that may also be known by many different names such as hot mix, asphalt concrete (AC or ACP), asphalt, blacktop or bitumen.
After use of asphalt in road construction, roofing applications, mainly in the form of roofing shingles account for most of the remaining asphalt consumption. Other uses include waterproofing applications.
Concerns over peak oil, pollution, climate change, urban heat islands, oil price fluctuations, and/or changes in refinery operations, have provided incentive to consider non-petroleum alternatives.
As an example, asphalt prices are escalating sharply due to supply/demand of crude oil and also because more refineries are installing cokers to convert asphalt and asphalt like residues into transportation fuels to meet growing demand. This means that asphalt binder will continue to become limited in supply and will become progressively more expensive.
As another example, emissions from asphalt binders derived from petroleum sources are of concern due to their composition of sulfur compounds, poly-nuclear aromatics and Nitrogen compounds. This poses a health hazard for employees in the aggregate mixing and paving operations as well as to the motoring public during paving operations.
Bioasphalt is an asphalt alternative made from non-petroleum based renewable sources.
These renewable sources include sugar, molasses and rice, corn and potato starches, natural tree and gum resins, natural latex rubber and vegetable oils, lignin, cellulose, palm oil waste, coconut waste, peanut oil waste, canola oil waste, potato starch, dried sewerage effluent and so on. Bitumen can also be made from waste vacuum tower bottoms produced in the process of cleaning used motor oils, which are normally burned or dumped into land fills. Non-petroleum based bitumen binders can be colored, which can reduce the temperatures of road surfaces and reduce the urban heat islands.
The use of tall oil in asphalt compositions and products has been known for a long time as shown in the following patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,162 to Elste, Jr., issued Feb. 18, 1975, discloses bituminous emulsions that develop good adhesion with either calcium-based aggregates or siliceous-based aggregates or mixtures thereof. The base emulsions useful in this invention are comprised of (1) bitumen, (2) a cationic emulsifier, (3) acid, and (4) water. To this base emulsion is added (1) an adhesion promoter such as tall oil, and (2) a hydrocarbon solvent to form the finished modified emulsions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,960 to Ward, Jr., issued Feb. 15, 1983, discloses an asphalt binder composition useful with mineral aggregate particles to form a patching composition for the repair of roads. The asphalt binder composition comprises: (1) a medium curing liquid asphalt, (2) from about 0.1 to 13.5% by weight tall oil based on the weight of the medium curing liquid asphalt, and (3) 0.0001% to 0.05% by volume of organopolysiloxane fluid, based on the volume of medium curing liquid asphalt plus tall oil. A patching composition is also provided which comprises from about 3 to 8% of asphalt binder composition, defined above, and from about 97 to 92% by weight of a mineral aggregate, based on the weight of asphalt binder composition plus mineral aggregate. A coating or sealing composition comprises: (1) a rapid curing liquid asphalt and (2) from about 0.1 to 13.5% by weight tall oil, preferably 1% by weight tall oil, based on the weight of rapid curing liquid asphalt. Methods are provided for preparing the compositions and for repairing roadways.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,827 to Ward, issued Oct. 30, 1984, discloses an asphalt binder composition useful with aggregate particles. The asphalt binding composition comprises: (1) a medium curing liquid asphalt, and (2) from about 0.1 to 13.5% by weight tall oil based on the weight of the medium curing liquid asphalt. An aggregate containing asphalt composition is also provided which comprises the asphalt binder composition, defined above, and aggregate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,703 to Ostermeyer, issued Jun. 22, 1993, discloses modified asphalt cements that comprise asphalt cement, reacted tall oil, tall oil pitch, tall oil derivatives or mixtures of these, and polymers selected from block copolymers and latexes, both synthetic and natural. Methods of manufacturing include: blending a reacted tall oil-modified asphalt cement with a polymer-modified asphalt cement to obtain the desired properties; modifying an asphalt cement with a reacted tall oil, tall oil pitch, tall oil derivatives or mixture thereof, and then adding the selected polymer(s) to this tall oil-modified asphalt cement; modifying the asphalt cement with the selected polymer(s) and then adding the tall oil, tall oil pitch, tall oil derivatives and mixtures thereof and reacting with a strong base; and, adding the polymer(s), tall oil, tall oil pitch, tall oil derivatives and mixture thereof and the strong base all to the asphalt cement at or nearly at the same time.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,351 to Doyle, issued Nov. 21, 2000, discloses methods for preparation of chemically-stabilized emulsions of tall oil in water. Temperature and pH are controlled during preparation of the emulsions so as to prevent saponification and neutralization of acids in the tall oil component. The final emulsions have pHs in the range of from about 3.0 to 5.0 and remain phase stable for extended periods of time. Methods are disclosed for using the emulsions for soil treatment to improve soil stabilization and load bearing capacity for roadbed use, for treatment of reclaimed asphalt pavement for reuse as a stabilized base course for roadway construction and for remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,346,561, to Osborn, issued Feb. 12, 2002, discloses a recipe and method for combining Gilsonite and other asphaltites with curative elastomers that are powder granular form and which are added to asphalt. Second recipe and method is disclosed to create a dry liquid concentrate comprised of cured elastomers in combination with tall oil or other fatty acids and may also include Gilsonite to be added to asphalt.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,774,165 to Clark, et al., issued Aug. 10, 2004, discloses a method of preparing an amine-free emulsion of alkaline earth metal sulfonates is disclosed. A solution of water and a nonionic, associative thickener of the type normally used for viscosity and thixotropy modification of latex compounds is combined with an overbased or neutral earth metal sulfonate or sulfonate complex to produce the emulsion. Mixtures of these emulsified products with other ingredients such as neutral diluent oils, linear alcohol/hydrocarbon mixtures, tall oil fatty acids, non-ionic surfactants, oxidized polyethylene waxes, small levels of microcrystalline wax, petrolatums, and/or calcium salts of oxidized petrolatums is also disclosed. The resulting emulsions find application in the modification of asphalt emulsions, the formulation of temporary coatings for the protection of painted automotive surfaces (transit coatings for automobiles) and in the prevention of corrosion of metal surfaces.
All of the patents, publications, articles and/or materials cited in this specification, are herein incorporated by reference.
However, in spite of the above advancements, there still exists a need in the art for asphalt compositions and products, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products.
There exists another need in the art for asphalt compositions and products comprising renewable materials, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products.
There exists even another need in the art for provide asphalt compositions and products comprising tall oil based materials, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products.
There exists still another need in the art for asphalt compositions and products comprising modified tall oil based materials, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products.
There exists yet another need in the art for asphalt compositions and products comprising oxidized or distilled tall oil based materials, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products.
There exists even still another need in the art for asphalt compositions and products comprising tall oil based materials and polymers, and to methods of making and using such compositions and products, as a partial or whole substitute for petroleum asphalt/bitumen with or without polymer modification.
These and other needs in the art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this specification, including its drawings and claims.